Disney said it will soon release spin-off movies based on individual 'Star Wars' characters. Yoda is an obvious first choice.
Lucasfilm

Disney CEO Bob Iger said today that the Hollywood giant plans on making a series of new spin-off films based on existing "Star Wars" characters.

These new films would be in addition to the forthcoming "Episode VII" that is slated for a possible 2015 release (and which will be directed by "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams), and two subsequent full "Star Wars" sequels.

Iger revealed the news in an interview on CNBC today (see video below), explaining that the spin-off films will be produced alongside the full "Star Wars" sequels. He would not say which characters will be featured in the stand-alone movies, but one can speculate that Yoda would be an obvious choice. Other good choices would be Han Solo or Princess Leia. Disney and LucasFilm could even decide to give Luke Skywalker his own film, although one could argue that that's already been done. And, of course, there are dozens of other compelling characters in the "Star Wars" universe.

"We still plan to make 'Star Wars' [episodes] seven, eight, and nine roughly over a six-year period of time starting in 2015," Iger said, "but there are going to be a few other films released in that period of time too."

Iger also said that news of the spin-off films would be big for "Star Wars" fans because there will be more films for them to enjoy.